Inkas, a Canadian manufacturer of street-legal armored vehicles based on popular brands, has unveiled something entirely unexpected. Rather than bulletproofing yet another Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz or Toyota Land Cruiser, it chose to work with a VinFast Lac Hong 900 LX.
The identity of the buyer is unknown, but what we do know is that the Vietnamese SUV wasn’t chosen for its discreet exterior. We know it specifically because whoever ordered it asked for gilded exterior trim accents. The owner is probably from Vietnam, because Inkas said it had to address “seemingly unsolvable technical hurdles” to make the car street-legal in that country.
Anyway, the car is now officially armor-plated in accordance with the VPAM VR7 standard. As such, it is supposed to withstand continued rifle fire and even stop armor-piercing ammo. The owner asked for a practical demo, so the company fired over 400 rounds into it before replacing the panels. As a separate point of price, the company mentions that the SUV withstands the simultaneous detonation of two DM51 grenades under the floor, even if the attacker places the grenades next to the weakest structural points. Such protection is considered “exceptional”, because it exceeds the specified standard.
Running on electricity, the VinFast Lac Hong 900 LX drives all four wheels with a combined 408 PS (402 hp / 300 kW) and sources its power from a 123-kWh battery pack. Inkas never measured how much the range was affected by all the added armor plating. When stock, this model may cover anywhere between 466 and 530 km (289 and 329 miles) depending on the specific production batch.
The cabin was stripped clean of all gaudy chrome applications, but only so that the tuner could replace those with custom-made gold trims. The seats were retrimmed in Nappa leather with golden stitching and Inkas embroidery. A soundproof partition was added between the front seat row and the rest of the cabin. The client also opted for an automatic fire extinguishing system, a satellite link and an emergency oxygen supply system.
